U.N. expected to take action against N. Korea

NEW YORK TIMES

Updated 10:30 pm, Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Bolstered by support from China, the United States introduced a draft resolution at the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday that would intensify sanctions on North Korea because of its nuclear test last month, targeting North Korean banking activities and what the U.S. ambassador called illicit activities by North Korean diplomats.

The resolution - the fourth against North Korea - drew a furious reaction from that isolated country even before it was formally distributed among the 15 Security Council members.

Sanctions among toughest

The move follows three weeks of delicate back-and-forth negotiations between the United States, the resolution's principal sponsor, and China, North Korea's major benefactor, which has nevertheless grown increasingly impatient with the North's nuclear activities.

"North Korea will be subject to some of the toughest sanctions imposed by the United Nations," U.S. ambassador Susan Rice told reporters on Tuesday. She said the scope of the sanctions, aimed at denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, "is exceptional and demonstrates the strength of the international community's commitment."

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The resolution will punish "the illicit activities of North Korean diplomatic personnel, North Korean banking relationships, illicit transfers of bulk cash," she said. The full text of the draft was not made immediately available outside the council.

Strong message

Reuters quoted the Chinese ambassador, Li Baodong, as saying the council intended to vote on the resolution Thursday.

Given China's support, passage is likely.

"A strong signal must be sent out that a nuclear test is against the will of the international community," Li said.

While embracing the sanctions efforts, the Chinese, North Korea's main ally, did not go as far as the United States would have liked, diplomats said.

The support of China, with its Security Council veto power and economic ties to North Korea, was considered vital in building international support for actions against North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.